Glucosuria: what is it, main causes and treatment

Glucosuria is a medical expression used to describe the presence of glucose in the urinary tract, which could be an indication of some health problems, from diabetes to kidney diseases, for example.

In healthy adults, kidneys are able to reabsorb all the glucose present in the urine and, for this reason, it is not possible to detect it in an urine analysis. However, when a specific amount of glucose is identified, it can mean two situations:

• There is an excess of glucose in the blood, which could be a sign of diabetes or changes in the pancreas;
• The kidney cannot reabsorber glucose properly due to some kidney problem, in these cases being called renal glucosuria.

Whenever the presence of glucose in the urinary tract is identified, it is important to consult a general practitioner to identify the cause and initiate the most appropriate treatment, if necessary.

main causes

The presence of glucose in the orine can occur due to:

• diabetes mellitus;
• Gestational diabetes;
• Renal alterations typical of embarrassment;
• Changes in the pancreas;
• Cushing’s Syndrome.

However, glucosuria can also occur due to kidney problems, such as Fanconi syndrome, cystinosis or chronic renal failure.

The main difference between the most common causes and the kidney problems is that, in the case of glucose caused by diabetes or changes in the pancreas, the amount of glucose in blood also increases; Although in the case of renal glucosuria, the blood glucose value tends to be normal.

How is the diagnosis performed?

In addition to the urine analysis, it is also common for a doctor to indicate a blood analysis to evaluate the levels of glucose and, if it is increased, the doctor may request other tests to confirm the diabetes. See what analyzes are indicated to diagnose diabetes.

When the glucose values ​​are normal in the blood, it is usually a sign of some renal alteration and, therefore, the doctor can order other urine tests and even an ultrasound or a magnetic resonance to evaluate the renal function.

How is the treatment performed?

The treatment of glucosuria varies a lot depending on the cause of the problem, but as it may be an alteration caused by diabetes, it is common that the person needs to make some changes in the diet, use oral hypoglycemic agents or insulin.

When dealing with renal glucosuria, the treatment must be guided by a nephrologist because it is necessary to detect if there is any renal problem that requires specific treatment. In many cases, renal glucosuria does not require any type of treatment and only regular urine and blood analysis are recommended to evaluate the evolution of the problem.